Headlight.



f-'ZB fthajt'I, FRANK BUCHANAN, i 'of "Dayton, inthe v.county of Montgomery,

tleSV/tate" 'of Ohio, have invented new and placed `upon the dash or .front of the cars of eleftricrailgivaysjand involves the use of alumi'nou's" or'laming arc lamp and'a'suitableflens associated'therewith in such manne'ijias to" concentrate the projected rays of lightata greater :distance and Within a smaller :radius or compass ahead of the car than` vhas heretofore been possible with lthe use of a' reflector.' .v

-In the ordinaryhead-light now. incommon: use in'fyvhichfreilectors are employed,

it' isfneces'sary 'to place the lamp Within the apex offf'the reiector which not only pro- Vduce'slafn objectionable diffusion of the projected rays of light'over a Wider area transversely-fto the focal axis but throws the more intense rays considerable distances hey'ond opposite sides of the track along which the*7 car lis traveling, leaving amore or 4less nebulous center directly ahead of the car kvrand'necessitatimg; the use of eXtra' dim- -min-g" devices-'particularly when the car is'ilpassin'gthroiigli the more thickly populated districts.' ,fy l

'Another'ohjection-to the use of reflectors particularly inconnection With the luminous arclamps on the cars of double trackedI railroads is the blinding elect of the most intense laterally deflected rays of light upon the-operators or occupants of anapm preaching car or other roadvvehi'cles orupon approaching pedestrians.

The mainf'object of my present invention is to' avoid theuse'of reflectors and their attendant 'disadvantages and vat vthe same time tolpfroject a more intenselight from an electric vflaming arc lamp a lgreater ldistance aheadof rthec'ar and'to confine the projected rayswithm a smaller area and' more nearly traveling LInfothei Words l have sought to associate-special form of'leris With anfelec# tric'arc lamp" such manner that the lightof greatest intensity lfrom the liiiminous arc or dame will beprojected un FRANK 'BUCH-NAN,

or narrow, estro HEADG-HT.

. specicaticn of Letters-raient. Faremo@ une 22;, A Application ledlDecember 8, 1909 Serial No. 532,%5. i

obstructed agreater distance 'ahead of the car and Within a less area than Wouldfhe possible with the use of a reflector. i

Another object is to enable the lamp to he adjusted relatively to the lens, so as to bring; the metallic Haine in proper relation to the focal point of the lens.

A further object is to provide for the use of one or more incandescent lamps located near the focal point and above the focal. axis of thelens, so as to throw an e'ective c but very much subdued light/downwardly in oblique rays upon the traclr and ahead of the car when traveling through cities and other congested districts. v p

Other objects and uses will be broughtl out `in the following description:

In the drawings Figure l is a front elevation of a head-light embodying the various features of my' invention. Fig.I 2 is stratos- .verse vertical sectional View of the sameV head-light showing the arc and incandescent' f front door QM which is held in place hy hinged connections 3v and removable pivotal hoits 44 either of which latter may lamps in elevation. Fig. 3 is an elevation. o f' the meeting ends ot' the electrodes of the are Y v 'se loeremovedto permit the door to be swungy on the opposite hinge, Centrally mounted in this door is a. circular signaly or-Freslnel lens --5 of predetermined focus, having an outer convex face and an inner but smaller convex suraee,-7 the latter he# ing surrounded by' a series of concentric stepped planes or annali -8-. the purpose of which is to concentrate the projected rays Withina' much smaller area. Mounted with 1n themelosing. case -l-.upon a sliding shelf o'r hase`9- is an upright support or bracket 10- carrying a pairfof vertically,"

disposed aming Iarc electrodes --1land -1Qfsimilar to those set forth in my pend` ing application No.' 523,579, :li-led October 20,

Fig. 30 The lower electrode -11- is mounty l -1ein such manner as'to remain sich` ment and is normally held in Contact .with

the upper .electrode when the arc light is .noti in use hy Weighted lever l5- and suitallle flLll connections between said Weighted levez-*and 4roch4 arm. The weighted leveri'---15Y is i connected to thev armature Ioflv'a. solenoid '-16-1- which is connected in the'a'rc lamp circuit, as shown in my pending application closed the electrode referred to, so that when such circuit is 11 will be withdrawn from ,contact wit theupper electrode .'-12- to form the flaming arc light -13-.

VThis lower electrode preferably consists ofa. metallic ltube containing a comminuted ksubstance such as titaniliin or equivalent material .'forproducing in conjunction with the upper electrode l2- a luminous arc. The

'upper electrode l2-which is -made of 'l the luminousiame between such electrodes yproposed carbons' in connection 'with Fresnel lenses but as a great part of the' luminosity of the. f lamps-'vis'caused by the incandescence of the is'substantia'lly at the focus of the lens and `the rays oflight from'fgfsuch flame are re .fracted by thelens intof'abeam of substantially paral el rays. Heretoifore it has been 'useother forms. of electrodes as points of the carbons it is impossible to vbring both luminous points within the focus or focal axis of the lens. I have discovered that flame or metallic arc lamps are particularly adaptable to be arranged so that the point of greatest luminosity of the arc can i be located substantially at the focus of the Fresnel lenses and `thus a beam of much greater'length and intensity is projected by the lenses than .by the use of any other form of electrodes.

The adjustment of the electrodes along the focalaxis of the lens relatively to the focal point vof the lens may be effected by simply opening the door -2- and adjusting the sliding base 9'- forwardly or rearwardly as may be\desired to bring ,the flame 13- at the focal point or to the front or rear thereof. The maximum intensity of light is produced by bringing the flame slightly in front of the focal point of the lens or in such position that the ends of the flame will coincide with lines drawn frdm such focal point to the .'margin of the lens. If, however, the flame is moved farther forward or lto the rear of the focal point, the intensity -of the projected rays of light will be very `much subduedowing to certain aberrations of .reflection and refraction or to the inharmonious relation of the lens` and source of light which is Well understood in the art of light reliecting a'nd refracting mediums."

vAny suitable means may be yprovided for holding the sliding base and parts mounted thereon in their adjusted position and for they purpose-'I have shown a spring detent manson 9A- having a' plurality oj/shoulders for engaging the front portion of said base. In

.some instances articularly When-the ear iS traveling long istances through cities, itis desirable to conserve the electric energy ef the flaming are lamp and at the same'time to produce "an effective but subduedlightaand for this purpose I'provde one er1m0r`em this instance two, incandescent lamps which are mounted u on a superpe'se bracket 20w above an et ocposite 'sidee of the focal axis, as of 'l5 s lIlS '59 lto cause the rays of light therefrom to gases lfrom the interior of the case, the margina-l edges of vthe door are spaced a slight distance apart. from the adjacent edges of the main body of the case-f1? by spacing members um22@ so as to leave intervening space In constructing this headlight., the vIene andcase are assembled and 11e` ated so that the focal point of the lens will fall within the case and substantially coincident -with `the meeting ends of the metallic electrodes thereby bringing the metallic flame at or near vsuch focal kpoint. I am .aware that lenses of this character have been used in connect-ion with oil lamps `for .Signaling .and semaphores but Ibelieve that Tam the first to combine'such lens with a. fiaming arc electrode both mounted upon or within a case the entire combination to be used as a headlight capable of projecting its rays of light a much greater distance ahead of the car and within a much smaller radius transversely of the axis than would be possible with the use of a reflector even with the same electrodes.

What I claim is:

1. A headlight comprising a casing, a lens arranged in sx1-id casing and constructed to refract the rays of light into a beam, a vertically disposed substantially non-consuming anode arranged above and contiguous to the focal axis of the lens, and a cathode of slowconsuming vmaterial directly beneath the anode and with its 11p'- vertically disposed per end below and ,contiguous to the Yfo/eel f axis of the' lens, said cathode furnishing an arc stream giving the major. portion of the illumination of the are, and said stream being located in the focal axis of the lens and at the focal point thereof, substantially as and for the purpose described. 'n

2. Anelectri'c head light having'. upper and 'lower electrodes, a draft tube, anu'a-n incandescent electric lamp supported by the draft tube, lslibsvtsiriizially as and for the purpose described. y y \3. An .electric head light comprising a 5 xed upper electrode and a movable lower electrode, a. draftztube'inclosing the upper casing having a, glass front, vertically disposed electrodes within the casing, a tube supporting the upper electrode and incandescent lamps supported by said tube.

- In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand on this 24th day of November,

FRANK BUCHANAN. Witnesses;

M. E. CHASE, A.. L. HUMPHREY. 

